Check-punch



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

S. S. WILLIAMSON.

0530 PUNCH. N0. 465,549. Patented D60. 22, 1891. E fl S. S. mlhanworu F QWJ%W% dig.

(No ModeL) 3 Sheets-Sheet; 2;

S. S. WILLIAMSON.

GHEGK PUNCH. No. 465,549. Patented Dec. 22, 1891.

|NVENTUH S5. 775M010 (No Model.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 3. S. S. WILLIAMSON.

CHECK PUNGH.

No. 466,549. Patented Dec. 22, 1891.

. INVENTIDR S. S. mlldmmam ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIcn.

SAMUEL S. W'ILLIAMSON, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

CHECK-PUNCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 465,549, dated December 22, 1891. Application filed February 28,1891. Serial No. 383.227. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SAMUEL S. WILLIAMsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Check- Punches; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Myinvention relates to check-punches, and has for its object to provide a device of this description which shall be efficient and rapid in use and very economical in cost.

I11 the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improvement. Figs. 2, 3, and at are sections respectively at the lines :1: cc, y y, and z z of Fig. 1; Fig. 5, a detail perspective of the sliding check-clamp, anddFig. 6 a detail perspective of the punchhea Similar letters denote like parts in the sevthe top of this plate are the signs and numbers arranged opposite to the corresponding punches.

It is a very difficult matter to set the punches within the gates so that there will be no lost motion laterally; but in my present invention the punches are set in such a manner that lost motion is impossible, as will be evident from the description which I shall now give. The gates are readily conformed to the punches from side to side by careful filing, and said punches bear against the back of the gates at two points-narnely, the top and bottom. The. plate 5 has countersinks -6 in its face, and when said plate is secured in position the stock of said countersinks is forced inward by a proper tool, so as to form teats 7, which latter bear directly against the front side of the punches, as shown at Fig. 4.

Thus it will be seen that there are three bearing-points for the punches, two in the rear wall of the gates and one on the inner face of the plate 5.

8 are springs whose ends are secured, respectively, within the punches and head, as

shown at Fi 3 whereb Y said unches are I side to side in the rear of the dies, and 13' is a slide which fits within said way and has a free lengthwise movement therein. The rear edges of the dies overhang said way, so as to constitute a keeper to retain the slide in position within the way, as shown at Figs. 1

2 and 3.

14 15 are the component members of the check-clamp. The section 14 is a thin piece of spring metal secured at the rear to the section 15 and provided at the front with .any suitable lift-finger 16. In normal position the section let lies firmly against the section 15, and to introduce a check it is only necessary to lift the section 14. against its resiliency and after the check is in position to allow said section to spring back, and thereby clamp the check. The clamp is secured at 17 to the slide 13, so as to be carried thereby, and the section 15 is in close proximity to the faces of the dies. \Vithin the section 14. is an opening 18, through which the punches operate to cut out the desired figures in the check. The check of course has no independent feeding movement, and therefore said opening is of a length sufficientto expose enough of the check to permit of the cutting in the latter of a reasonable number of figures side by side-for instance, seven. This opening is divided into uniform spaces by scalloping the edges thereof, each scalloped division 19 being sufficient to contain a single number or character. This is a very good feature, since the operator is thereby enabled to accurately locate the cutting-field of the punches, as will be presently more specifically pointed out.

In the rear of the punches is a series of guide-fingers 20, projecting upwardly and se cured to the check-clamp and separated from each other by spaces 21.

22 are pins which extend laterally from the punches in the rearthereof and act as stops to limit the upward movement of said punches. These pins extend immediately across the vertical plane of the guide-fingers and bear such relation to the latter that the downward movement of the punches will cause said pins to enter the spaces between the fin gers,and thereby accurately hold the check-clamp during the operation of punching the check. The tops of the fingers are beveled down, so as to afford a flared mouth to the spaces 21,and thereby insure the ready introduction of the pins.

The operation of my improvement is as follows: The check is placed within the clamp, as hereinbefore set forth, and the latter moved along (by reason of its connection to the slide 13) until the scalloped division within which it is desired to operate a certain punch is brought opposite to the foot of said punch, the eye of the operator being sufficient to determine this. It is only necessary to bring said division approximately opposite to the selected punch, "since when the latter is depressed its pin 22 will be guided within the proper space 21, thereby accurately centering said division with respect to said punch. The scalloped divisions are exceedingly useful, as they not only afford a means for locating the cuttingfield of the punches, but the operatoris thereby enabled to space out the figures or characters with no doubt whatsoever.

To illustrate the foregoing, suppose it is desired to punch out the characters and figures The figures 8 9 can be punched out through the third and fourth scalloped divisions. The last 35 in the fifth division, and then the first and the figure 4 may be punched through the first and second divisions. This is frequently very convenient, for

it obviates the necessity of carrying the check from one end of the machine to the other in order to punch out the numbers or head and having a series of teats projecting inwardly against the outer edges of the punches, whereby said punches have three bearing-points each, substantially as set forth.

2. In acheck-punch, the combination, with the head slotted to receive the punches, and the I face-plate secured to said head, whereby gates are afforded for the punches, of the punches within said gates and having three bearingpoints each, one at the top and one at the bottom of the rear walls of said gates, and one on the inner face of said plate projecting beyond the inner surface of the wall, substantially as set forth.

3. In a check-punch, the combination of the stationary punches and dies with the movable check-clamp having an opening scalloped to form consecutive divisions within and through which the punches are operated, whereby the figures or characters cut in the check appear and are located consecutively within said divisions, substantially as set forth.

4. In a check-punch comprising a head having open gates for the punches, the combination, with the punches assembled within said gates, of the face-plate secured to said head across the outer faces of the punches, the stock of said plate being forced inward against the punches to set the latter, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

SAMUEL S. \VILLIAMSON. 

